The Detroit Pistons overhauled their roster ahead of the 2024 NBA trade deadline, swapping eight players in a revamp around their young core.
They had to shake up a roster that had already set an NBA record for futility, needed to cash in some assets before they walked for nothing, and had to find a more complementary cast to put around Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Ausar Thompson, Jalen Duren, Marcus Sasser and Isaiah Stewart.
That entire group should benefit from the moves made at the deadline, as they will have larger and more defined roles and players around them that better suit their overall athleticism and team defense.
But the job is certainly not finished.
What will the Detroit Pistons do next?
In addition to adding better defenders in Simone Fontecchio and Quentin Grimes, the Pistons opened up a ton of cap space for the offseason.
We've been down this road before and ended up with Joe Harris, so I'd temper your hope that Detroit will land any of the big-name free agents, as that list is getting small and most of the guys at the top of it will re-sign with their current teams if they haven't already.
The Pistons could use a big chunk of their space on one guy, spread it around to multiple role players or try to swing for the fences on a big trade in which they take back more money than they send out.
One national guru thinks he knows who the Detroit Pistons are going to pursue.
The Detroit Pistons should pursue Tobias Harris in free agency
The Pistons were reportedly interested in Tobias Harris at the trade deadline and on paper he makes sense. He's a solid, consistent veteran who is familiar with the Pistons and still has relationships in Detroit from his time playing there.
In a recent episode of the Lowe Post, NBA expert Zach Lowe said he thought the Pistons would pursue Harris in the summer, and that fans should "brace for it," which isn't a ringing endorsement.
Even after adding Fontecchio and Troy Brown Jr., the Pistons are still light on power forwards, as Fontecchio is more of a wing, though he can certainly play both spots.
Harris' 3-point numbers are down in both percentage and volume this season, but he's a solid shooter who can spread the floor and is going to give you 16-18 points a night, as he has for his whole career.
Harris isn't a defensive stopper, but he's no sieve either and would give the Pistons back some of the veteran leadership they lost when they traded Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks.
A lineup of Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Simone Fontecchio, Tobias Harris and Jalen Duren does make some sense, especially if Harris starts launching more 3-point shots. With defenders in Ausar Thompson, Isaiah Stewart and Quentin Grimes to mix and match off the bench, Monty Williams would have a lot of options.
But it's easy to look at the other side of this and wonder if Harris is the guy the Pistons need.
The Detroit Pistons shouldn't pursue free-agent Tobias Harris
I like Harris as a player and person, and it would be cool to see him finish his career in Detroit, as he embraced the city and fans in his short time in the Motor City.
The arguments against him are related to finances, age and fit.
If the Pacers go all-in to re-sign Pascal Siakam, then Tobias Harris will arguably be the best remaining free agent on the market. Teams are well aware of what he can do, so even though there won't be a lot of teams with cap space, Harris will have suitors.
It may take something in the range of 3 years/$120 million for Harris, which is pretty steep for a guy who has never made an All-Star team.
Harris will be 32 years old this summer, so he's not ancient by any means but the Pistons would be paying prime prices for non-prime years, which is something you generally want to avoid.
I also question his fit in some ways, as the Pistons are already playing a more up-tempo style with Bogdanovic and Burks gone (it's only been one game, but the difference was noticeable), which seems to fit the strengths of their young, athletic core.
It's also possible that the Pistons will get 80 percent of what Harris would give them from Fontecchio at a much cheaper price. Yes, they could work with both of them, but if the Pistons view Fontecchio more as a stretch four, then there might be some overlap.
Harris is a very good player, as consistent as they come and he has rarely missed games in his career, so it makes sense for a young team that has had injury problems to pursue someone they can count on.
But there are also some questions about whether he's worth what they'll have to pay him, especially given his age and fit with the young core.
Tobias Harris isn't a no-brainer either way, and I'd be happy to see him back at the right price, but the chances of the Pistons getting a team-friendly deal from one of the top free agents are slim and none, so they will have to balance his value vs. cost, especially for the back end of his next contract when the young core will be much more expensive.